By SHAZNI ONG / Pic By TMR File

Malaysia’s wholesale and retail trade sales recorded a 5.3% growth in the month of April amounting to RM105.1 billion as compared to the same month last year, the Department of Statistics Malaysia said.

Chief statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin (picture) said that wholesale trade contributed to the biggest chunk of the amount breakdown, totalling to RM51.2 billion, followed by retail trade with RM41.6 billion and motor vehicles with RM12.3 billion.

“As for seasonally adjusted volume index, it increased 1.2% as against a month ago. This growth was driven by motor vehicles with 6.7%.

“The growth of 4.9% in the volume index of wholesale and retail trade was propelled by retail trade which expanded 6.9%. Motor vehicles and wholesale trade also posted an increase of 3.5% and 3.3% respectively,” he said in a statement yesterday.

Mohd Uzir also said the retail trade subsector remained as the main driver with year-on-year (YoY) growth of 6.3% for performance across subsectors.

“Within the same period, wholesale trade rose 5.3%, while motor vehicles increased by 2.2%. Compared to the previous month, sales value for all subsectors recorded negative growth,” he said.

On wholesale trade, the sub sector generated a 5.3% increase in sales value of RM51.2 billion in April this year as against the corresponding month in 2018, on the back by other specialised wholesale which grew 6.6%. The next contributors were wholesale on a fee or contract basis and wholesale of food and beverages (F&B), and tobacco with 5.6% growth respectively.

For monthly comparison, sales of this sub sector contracted 3.8%. On retail trade, the subsector registered an annual sales growth of 6.3% as compared to April last year, with the expansion spurred by retail sales of F&B and tobacco in specialised stores (8.8%), retail sale via stalls and markets (8.2%), and retail sale of cultural and recreation goods in specialised stores (7.2%).

On motor vehicles, the subsector saw a 2.2% increase in sales value as against the corresponding month of the previous year, which was attributed by sales, maintenance and repair of motorcycles (4.3%), maintenance and repair of motor vehicles (4.1%) and sales of motor vehicle parts and accessories (3.8%).

On a separate but related note, the country’s manufacturing sales grew by 6.8% in April to register at RM69.9 billion, as compared to RM65.5 billion reported a year ago.

Mohd Uzir said the YoY growth registered in sales value in April was driven by the increase in non-metallic mineral products, basic metal, and fabricated metal products (7.5%), electrical and electronics products (6.7%) and petroleum, chemical, rubber and plastic products (5.8%).

Mohd Uzir added that total employees engaged in the manufacturing sector in April this year were 1,087,774 persons, an increase of 1.7% or 18,364 persons as compared to 1,069,410 persons in the corresponding period last year.

“Salaries and wages paid amounted to RM3,995.3 million, went up 4.4% or RM169.5 million in April 2019 as against the same month of the preceding year.

“The sales value per employee grew by 5% to record RM64,300 as compared with the same month in 2018. Meanwhile, the average salaries and wages per employee was RM3,673 in April 2019,” he said.

Mohd Uzir said the sales value of the manufacturing sector in the period between January and April this year registered a growth of 6.2% to RM280.6 billion as compared to the same period last year.

“The number of employees engaged during the period grew by 1.7% to register 1,087,774 persons while salaries and wages paid posted an increase of 6.4% to RM16.2 billion,” he said.